ANNOTATED LIST. 95 
SPINULOSA. 
ASTERINID£E. 
Nepanthia brevis. 
Asterina (Nepanthia) brevis Perrier. 1876. Rey. Stell., Arch. Zool. Exp., 5, p. 241 (321). 
Nepanthia brevis Sladen. 1889. Challenger Ast., p. 387, pl. lxiii, figs. 3-5. 
(Plate 6, Figures 3 and 4.) 
This may be called the characteristic sea-star of Torres Strait, for it is the only species 
taken by all four expeditions to the region and it is not known from anywhere else, except 
the northwestern coast of Australia, whence Studer reports two specimens taken by the 
Gazelle. It is a very noteworthy fact, however, that no Nepanthia was found at Erub or 
the Murray Islands, although five specimens were taken at Thursday Island during the 
two mornings’ collecting which we had there. It looks as though the eastern limit of the 
range of the species is about at the Cape York peninsula, the Alert having taken it at 
Albany Island. 
Although both Bell and Sladen have figured this pretty sea-star, I am glad to be able 
to give colored figures, drawn from life. The figures were made from a specimen taken on 
the underside of a rock fragment, about half-way between high and low tide, on the north- 
east side of Thursday Island, September 12, 1913. On September 15 Mr. Grosse and I 
collected four specimens in a similar habitat on Madge Reef across the ship-channel 
from Thursday Island dock. None of my specimens is quite as large as the maximum 
size given by Bell, R=44 mm. The colors are very fugitive in alcohol and are difficult 
to preserve either in formalin or in dry specimens. 
Asterina anomala®* sp. nov. 
(Plate 7, Figure 8; Plate 23, Figure 5; Plate 26, Figures 2 and 3.) 
Rays 6 to 8. R=8 mm.; r=4 mm.; br=4.5 mm.; R=2r. Body-form irregular 
in all available specimens, owing to autotomous reproduction; in two specimens there 
are only 3 rays, the recently severed surface having healed, but not as yet given rise 
to any new rays (one of these specimens is shown on plate 23, the lower left-hand example 
in figure 5); in the specimen from which the colors shown in figure 8, plate 7, were 
taken there are 2 rays, adjoining each other, with R=8 mm., 2 rays side by side, 
next to them with R=4 mm., and opposite these 4 rays are 4 more, each less than 
a millimeter long; another 8-rayed specimen is somewhat less asymmetrical; a 7-rayed 
specimen (pl. 23, fig. 5, lower right-hand example) is fairly symmetrical, except that one 
ray is injured at the tip; another 7-rayed specimen is less symmetrical, a recent auto- 
tomous division being quite evident; one specimen has 6 rays, 2 of which, side by side, 
are little more than half as big as the other 4; in life the rays are distinctly narrower, 
higher, and more arched than in preserved material, as is easily seen on comparing figure 
8, plate 7, with figure 5, plate 23. 
Abactinal skeleton as usual in Asterina, made up of imbricating plates, more or less 
crescentic (except near tip and margins of ray), each of the larger ones at least with a large 
papula on its inner concave side; there are 4 to 6 series of papulz on each ray at its middle, 
and some additional ones on disk. Each plate carries a small cluster or double series of 
minute thorny spinelets, most numerous on the plates near the margin. Madreporite very 
small and distinguishable only with difficulty or quite wanting. Terminal plates small, 
hemispherical, distinctly on the upper surface of ray, covered with minute thorny granules, 
but these are so easily rubbed off, the plate is often quite bare. No pedicellarie. 
1 avauahioc = irregular, in reference to the body form and number of rays. 
